The point is, these days you just can't trust game companies to keep your private data safe, yet more and more of them are requiring us to sign up for accounts with personal details and billing information in order to play, and we have no idea how secure it is. That's why we're going to show you how to take control of your own security and keep your identity safe no matter what happens.

The Basics

Before getting into the more advanced stuff, let's talk about the security essentials. Did you know that in the recent League of Legends data leak (like many hacks), the hackers didn't actually get any passwords? Instead, they got password hashes, which can be cracked, depending on how strong your password is. LoL players with strong passwords were in a much better position after the hack -- so make sure you use strong passwords. We know it's a pain, but you should be aiming for at least 12 characters, with a mix of characters, symbols and numbers.

Even more important than that, though, is to not re-use passwords, especially for sensitive accounts like email or social networking. Doing that can mean the difference between worrying that you're going to lose your ladder rankings and worrying that Eastern European hackers are going to start signing up for credit cards in your name.

Install a Password Manager

So you're supposed to use some long, complex password, and not use the same password more than once? No, you don't need to be some sort of savant at memorizing tons of passwords -- you just need to use a password manager.

A password manager, as the name implies, is a program that keeps track of all of your passwords for you. Since it relieves you of having to remember them, you can use much longer, more secure passwords, which most password managers are happy to generate for you.

The best password manager available right now is called Keepass. Here's how you can get it up and running in just 5 minutes:

Download the Keepass installer from http://sourceforge.net/projects/keepass/ and run it

Run through the installer. The default options are fine.

When the program launches, click File -> New and name your password database.

Enter a master password. This is the password you will you use access all of your accounts, so make sure it's a good one.

You'll be shown the options menu. You don't need to change anything.

And just like that you're ready to go.

To have Keepass generate a random, super-secure password for you, just click Tools -> Generate Password.

When you're ready to starting adding accounts to Keepass, just click Edit -> Add Entry. A window will pop up where you can enter the username and password, as well as a title and a URL. If you're entering a web-based login, you can just enter the URL here, and Keepass will automatically enter the username and password for you next time you visit the page. Any time you add a new password, remember to save your database.

For game accounts that don't use a browser-based login, just open Keepass before you run the game, click on the game you're going to play and hit Control + C. This will copy your password to the clipboard, so you can just paste it into the login field in-game. For security reasons, Keepass will automatically delete it from your clipboard in 12 seconds. If you need more time, you can change this setting in the options.

Finally, if you plan to access your accounts on other computers as well, remember that you will need to keep a copy of Keepass with you. The program doesn't actually install anything, so you can just keep the executable and the database file on a USB stick or in a Dropbox folder. Just remember not to use Keepass for your Dropbox login, if that's your plan.

Create a Fake Identity

Have you ever heard of anyone who carries two wallets when they're in a bad part of town? The idea is that if you're mugged, you can give up the fake wallet, which only has 10 bucks and some expired credit cards, and you're not out as much as you would be if you lost the real thing. Since the entire Internet is basically a bad part of town, you can use the same principal to keep your data safe.

Start with a new email account. Everything else always ties back to your email address, so create a new webmail account just to use for gaming services. This account isn't just a throwaway, though -- you'll need it to activate accounts, so remember the username and password. If you're using Gmail, you can enable multiple account logins so you can keep an eye on it.

Next, come up with a persona you'll use for online gaming. The most common info that gets stolen is stuff like user's real names and addresses, and although this info isn't that dangerous by itself, it could help somebody determined to steal your identity.

You could make it up on the fly each time, but we recommend saving a document on your system with a dossier on your fake identity, with info like first and last name, address, and birthday. (Need inspiration? How about your porn name: first name is your middle name, last name is the street you grew up on.) That way if you ever have to call customer service, you won't have the embarrassing experience of admitting that you've forgotten your own last name ("Montoya") and address ("Hogwarts").

The final step is to buy a prepaid credit card to use for gaming. It might sound a little extreme, but it's very easy to get one, they're not a risk to your credit (since they're pre-paid), and it can be very handy to have around if you ever want to buy something on the Internet from a site you don't 100% trust. If the info gets out there, the worst that happens is the account gets drained.

To get one just go down to the nearest chain grocery store, drug store, or big-box retailer. You can find a list of locations that sell prepaid Visa cards here. If you're out in the sticks, you can also order one online from Visa or Mastercard's website. When you've spent it all, you can add more money to the card at the same place as you bought it. Important: Make sure to pay attention to any fees when you buy the card. Usually they're not much, but they can add up if you're doing things like using the prepaid card to withdraw cash from an ATM.

When you get the card, it will come with instructions on how to activate it. The specifics will vary depending on where you bought the card, but you'll be required to provide some information about yourself. Do NOT use your fake identity here -- credit card fraud isn't something you want to mess around with. You'll also need to use your real identity whenever you're asked for billing information by game companies. Fortunately, billing information is generally held more securely, and is less frequently stolen in game service hacks.

With strong passwords, a separate gaming identity and a totally secure payment method, you're at least relatively safe no matter what happens.

Spy Guy says: Even master spies like myself are not immune to having their identity compromised. Although when that happens to me it usually results in a hail of bullets. Has your data ever been stolen? What measures have you taken to prevent such a thing from happening again?